Colombia's traditional corn flour treats have nutrition and heritage in every bite
For thousands of years, flour ground from corn has been a great benefit to the nutrition and culture of the people of Valle del Cauca, in southwestern Colombia-but now this heritage is in jeopardy. Corn provides 9% of the daily supply of calories in the Colombian diet, through the consumption of foods such as arepas, empanadas, tamales, mazamorra and the typical Cali drink known as champús; each Colombian, on average, consumes 30 kg of corn per year, according to a 2019 report. Mauricio Quintero , leader of the Sustainable Socio-Ecological Systems Research Group and full professor of the Engineering Faculty y la Sede Regional de Palmira of the Universidad del Valle (Univalle) explained that although empanadas and tamales are purchased in more than 40 percent of Colombian households, there is not much research on their nutritional values and cultural meanings. "There are few studies in the literature that evaluate the on micronutrient content effect of traditional methods of